Nitin Gadkari says ‘people laughed’ at his 100% ethanol vision, now the file is signed

After months of being a vocal supporter of ethanol blending in petrol, union minister Nitin Gadkari on Saturday said he had “signed the file” finalising regulations for use of 100 per cent ethanol in vehicles.

Nitin Gadkari further added that a pilot project would be unveiled in Nagpur soon, featuring a hydrogen pump and two hydrogen-powered buses. (ANI)

Speaking at a gathering in Nagpur, Maharashtra, Gadkari said “people used to laugh” when he spoke about this, but now ethanol could become a “viable alternative to petrol.”

“Last night at 8 PM, I signed the file, finalising the regulations to legally authorise the use of 100% ethanol,” Gadkari said, according to a video released by ANI news agency. “People used to laugh when I spoke of this dream, and some friends even criticised it..” he added.

The draft changes to the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989 aim to provide for wider use of fuels, such as E85 (a blend of 85 per cent ethanol with petrol) and E100(which would allow vehicles to run on nearly pure ethanol), as well as B100 biodiesel and hydrogen-CNG combinations.

Gadkari said he, along with Hardeep Puri, union minister for petroleum and natural gas, had now launched the “100% ion of the WagonR—Maruti Suzuki’s best-selling car.”

Puri and Gadkari had, last week, attended the launch of Hero MotoCorp's flex fuel variants of the Splendor+ and HF Deluxe, which come with E85-compatible engines.

‘Companies to launch ethanol-compatible vehicles’

Gadkari also said that automobile companies would launch ethanol-compatible vehicles within the next month-and-a-half. “Regarding motorcycles, Hero MotoCorp—which accounts for three out of every five motorcycles sold—has launched two flex-fuel models capable of running on 100% ethanol. Following this, companies like Toyota, Suzuki, MG, and Hyundai will launch 100% ethanol-compatible vehicles within the next month and a half,” he said.

Gadkari further added that a pilot project would be unveiled in Nagpur soon, featuring a hydrogen pump and two hydrogen-powered buses. “The public will be able to ride these hydrogen buses, which will be powered by green hydrogen extracted from water using an electrolyser,” Gadkari said, asserting that the “day is now near.”

Gadkari, Puri advocate for higher mix of ethanol in petrol

During the MotoCorp launch event last week, both union ministers Gadkari and Puri advocated for a higher mix of ethanol in petrol. Puri said that the E85 petrol, which will have 85% ethanol blended with 15% petrol, will be substantially cheaper than the current E20 petrol.

He said that the government is actively examining a supportive policy for accelerated, affordable adoption of E85 fuel. The minister also said even if 1% of E85 is adopted in the 2026-27 supply year, four crore litres of ethanol demand will be generated. Gadkari, during the same event, said that he has raised the issue of higher GST, 18% in this case, on fuel having ethanol blending of more than 20% in petrol .

“The finance minister assured me that she will discuss this issue of higher taxes on E30 and above with state governments in the GST Council meeting,” Gadkari said. The current GST rate on E20 fuel is 5%.

This comes even as the ministry of road transport and highways, headed by Gadkari, has proposed amendments to vehicle emission rules to widen the scope for higher ethanol blends and alternative fuels. However, there has been skepticism raised by some regarding its impact on vehicles, their powertrains and performance.

However, Gadkari dismissed concerns that ethanol is an inferior fuel, and defended its engineering standards, saying its performance characteristics were at par with conventional fuels.